The HfP chat thread – Saturday 28th August

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Michael C says:

28 Aug28 August 08:07

Morning! Just felt I should report some excellent service to start w/end off on a positive note!
I had a stay at the Hilton Kensington which was credited to the “wrong” credit card for triggering the Amex offer, but I only noticed a week later. After emailing, someone rang me straight away (Sunday morning), changed it over the phone, and accounts were credited/debited within 48 hours.
Rooms are simple, but we had a great stay due to location (fabulous early evenings strolling round Holland Park, many direct buses to everywhere, Westfield if needed) and decent b/f, and would def. recommend on a good rate.
- Oh! Matron says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:21
  
  Good to know. 15 years ago, the Hilton Kensington used to be one of the cheaper Hilton’s in London (before they grew rapidly). I love the walk along the beautiful tree lined road to Holland Park station!
- Gormlesstraveller says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 10:50
  
  Is that the one that isn’t really in Kensington?!
  - Michael C says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 11:00
    
    Yes! but as Oh!M says above, lovely area of Holland Park, couple of great cafés/pubs by the tube, and of course the wonderful Daunt Books.
    - Lyn says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 11:42
      
      Daunt Books is definitely an enticement to stay! One reason I used to like the Holiday Inn Mayfair because Hatchards was just down the street.
  - AJA says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 11:01
    
    Yes. It’s really Shepherd’s Bush. Not sure why you would take a bus to Westfield, it’s a 10 minute walk max especially as the bus drops you off almost as far from the centre as where you started, just on the other side of the roundabout.
  - Rob says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 12:04
    
    Kensington is an odd one. Most people treat South Ken as Kensington (which of course it isn’t – it’s south of it). Technically I think it is the small area opposite Hilton Olympia between Ken High St and Cromwell Road.
- Lady London says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 11:06
  
  You also have Holland Park and Shepherd’s Bush stations within short walking distance so Central Line highly accessible as well as the little known link to Gatwick
- Pid says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 15:05
  
  Used to stay here quite a lot as we parked in Westfield for the weekend. Always enjoyed it and the lounge was OK for a few drinks and a bite to eat before going out for the evening.
AndreasJ says:

28 Aug28 August 08:08

Just trying to gauge how much business travellers are returning to travel: at work, I used to fly 3 or 4 times a month, always Europe, short haul. I doubt I will be back on the road any time this calendar year and well into next. How is it for the other road warriors? Similar or due to the nature of your job some business travel has returned?
- BP says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:15
  
  Used to regularly do Glasgow to London (enough to make Silver each year!!). The company still has a travel ban.
  - Paul says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 08:17
    
    You wouldn’t know given weekend fares to Glasgow and Edinburgh for a month out!
    - TGLoyalty says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 09:15
      
      Wouldn’t weekend fares be tourists not business?
      - Andrew says:
        
        28 Aug28 August 13:34
        
        Sunday evenings used to be popular on the southbound.
        
        Expect to pay around £400 for return weekend domestics on hand luggage only at the moment.
        
        Or £20 if you drive it in an electric car…
- Dave says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:29
  
  Nothing has returned here yet. All Zoom. Some will return but never back to what it was.
  - Andrew says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 08:37
    
    I used to be 2 IHG nights a week, hitting Spire without a sweat. Now it’ll be a night or 2 a month at best from October maybe. The days of being on the road all day for a couple of hours meeting are over and will never return.
- Red Flyer says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:46
  
  Same here – usually 30 European flights a year but last flight for me was 7th March 2020. In the meantime our new business is up +50% over the last 12 months so I’m expecting a battle with the directors when we do 2022 travel budgets shortly. 😢
- E says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:17
  
  Travel still stopped for us and looks like being no imminent change. We’re allowed to drive to a site in exceptional circumstances but hardly anyone is doing that yet, and not allowed public transport, overnight stays or travel outside the UK.
- Ikaz says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:21
  
  I have qualified for BA gold for the first time with business flights this year, flying weekly in business between London and Scotland.
  I have just changed employer, and have my first trip on the same route next week, but travel is a lot more restricted with them
  - Harry T says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 09:32
    
    May I ask what you do for a living? That seems like a solid amount of domestic travel in the present context.
- Sam G says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:44
  
  I’m working as a consultant on a project that was supposed to involve a decent amount of intra-UK travel but we were just told yesterday that the project will remain remote-first for the foreseeable future as the company still has a ban on using public transport & concerns over ramping up offices to full capacity too quickly. I think the rising case numbers in the UK has them pretty nervous.
  
  Interestingly they’ve made no investment in decent VC facilities or re configuring the office space to suit a blending working style. I think any organisation expecting things to go back to the way they were is pretty misguided – certainly in my sector you can easily find work that requires limited travel to an office if that is your preference (which it seems to be for a lot of people)
- Cats are best says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 10:15
  
  Global company, no travel for sales, internal meetings etc., not even train/car, only limited office opening for ‘locals’.
  
  Essential travel where someone must physically touch/assess something never stopped.
  
  In Q1 2019 I did c. 30 flights, some leisure and TP runs in there though 🙂 Since then just three leisure trips.
  
  Can’t see that changing much for UK-based, especially with the post-Brexit admin/limitations on UK-EU working – as things ramp up, my EU guys will travel more, but UK people will only do UK.
- Alan says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 10:35
  
  Nothing for 2021 and going forward we have new Green travel policies that will reduce business travel to a small fraction of what it was previously.
  - Super Secret Stuff says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 11:16
    
    Damn saving the planet!
  - Travel Strong says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 11:48
    
    Many firms are keen to lock in the reduced T&E spending for the long term, some are calling it green, some aren’t – but most are looking at the saving in that budget area in 2020 and wanting to keep the saving. Unfortunately the impact / lost opportunity from restricting T&E are rarely as visible.
- Super Secret Stuff says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 11:14
  
  At some point it will return to near enough normal for me. If not more so as I’ll need to go to Australia
  - illuminatus says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 13:23
    
    Aka the Dystopian Police State? At this rate I doubt you will be able to leave your home there in 2022, let alone travel.
- Travel Strong says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 11:41
  
  Major UK company with 40k+ employees and all international travel still needs specific approval from MD or above. Hardly any international travel occurring, and foreign contractors are also reluctant to travel here for work (due to their own company policies more than anything). Regularly flew domestically with EasyJet to go north/south – started driving it instead last year and now much prefer the flexibility, so won’t be returning to flying domestically.
- Paul Pogba says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 18:37
  
  I’ve never had to do much international travel for work but I’m back in the office 3/5 days and spend half my day on Teams to people that are at home. It feels a little pointless. I’d usually have had at least three in person meetings a week and haven’t had any now since lock down. I’m convinced the way we work has changed and all that’s left are some managerial cultural resistance.
  - AndreasJ says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 22:50
    
    Very interesting to hear folks! Obvious to say, but I only think business travel will get back to where it was once Covid is all a distant memory. For the coming years it will be severely restrained, as others have pointed out the T&E savings for some companies are massive.
LS says:

28 Aug28 August 08:09

HSBC WE card. I applied a few months back, got a letter saying £0 fee with the card, and was initially not charged on 1st statement. 2nd statement was yesterday, and £195 fee was there 🙁
Called HSBC, and they agreed to waive the charge. No argument. Total call time was <4 minutes
- HBommie says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:45
  
  Same for me yesterday after TGL and HarryT confirmed there experience.
  
  It may be a good time to get the WE.
  - DI says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 08:51
    
    Is this card only available with the premier current account?
    - Rob says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 09:07
      
      Yes
  - LS says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 08:55
    
    Indeed. 20,000 avios (25,000 with current bonus) and 12m of lounge access (admittedly with very reduced travel) and 1avios/£ spent for a year for £0 is not bad! I suspect I will keep it for next year at £195 for the repeat 20,000 avios bonus.
    - LS says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 09:00
      
      I have largely abandoned using avios for flying. But 25,000 = £200 with nectar/Argos/eBay, so profit already!
    - Nick Booker says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 10:50
      
      Hi having just been told my BAPP card will cost me £250 to renew in Sept I am considering my options. This seems a good way of accruing some points!
- Graeme says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 11:30
  
  Was this a special offer or targetted offer a few months back? Must have missed this. Website still showing £195 fee for me and have HSBC Premier.
  - Rob says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 11:57
    
    Always did show £195 but the welcome letter says £0 in error.
  - HBommie says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 12:43
    
    As Rob says, error on the paperwork that comes with the card (the letter on which the card is stuck). I was ‘happy’ to pay the fee but more than happy when I saw the comments on here and the £0 fee on my paperwork.
BSI1978 says:

28 Aug28 August 08:10

Just concluding a 2 night stay at Hyatt Place East London. Mixed observations in truth, won’t be for everyone but there’s a clear difference between this and Andaz Liverpool Street (unsurprisingly).

Rob/Rhys – I was in one of the upper Terrace rooms, conscious you have your own piece planned but have pictures and more substantive comments if useful?
- Rob says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:12
  
  I think we’re good Steve. Plan is to this and Hilton Canopy at the same time. Not surprised it’s not Andaz though!
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 09:16
    
    Since Andaz is generally 2.5x the price no surprise at all
Craig says:

28 Aug28 August 08:10

Just trying to get some clarity from the comments yesterday, people seem to be getting retention MR from Amex? How long since the last bonus?
- Sarah says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:14
  
  I have had the card since the start of May and got 50,000 MR.
- Andrew says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:15
  
  I got 35k last April and then rang a few times at the end of the year and the start of the year and was always told no, even if I asked specifically (after the usual long conversation). Then I waited a few days after the anniversary of the first bonus and sure enough was offered 50k.
  - Mouse says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 08:26
    
    Same for me
    - mark2 says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 09:23
      
      +1
- Gavin says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 08:56
  
  I had 35k last month, card open a couple of months.
- Craig says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:22
  
  Just rang, I had 35k in May which was the card anniversary. I think I got the same last May, 35k. Given another 35k which was only 3 months after the last lot!
  - S879 says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 09:45
    
    Is this for platinum. I tried many times for gold but they said card was too young at 5 months. I’m now close to 8 months. What are people asking for Gold?
    - Craig says:
      
      28 Aug28 August 09:47
      
      Yes, this was for Platinum.
Chas says:

28 Aug28 August 08:36

I had 50k in June, but hadn’t had anything since May 2020 (even when I asked in May 2021 I was refused).
Aslan says:

28 Aug28 August 08:51

Heading to EDI today – are both Aspire lounges open now, or just the one down near gate 4?
Ta
- Rob says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:07
  
  Just the new one I think.
- Patrycja says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:14
  
  Only Aspire lounge on first floor is open (very limited hours). The one by gate 4 was closed when we flew on Monday
Ukgeorge says:

28 Aug28 August 09:04

Does anyone have any hotel recommendations for Budapest? I am looking to pay up to £200 a night. I have the usual Amex platinum complementary hotel loyalty memberships and Discovery Platinum. Thanks
- TGLoyalty says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:20
  
  With Covid and all the deals you never know – Parisi Udvar
- Ambient says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 09:25
  
  Had a fantastic stay at Hilton Budapest as Diamond for New Year 2019/20. Its well located for the Bastion and many of the other sightseeing hotspots on that side of the river.
  
  We were upgraded to a suite with river view, had excellent breakfasts and the lounge was a great option for happy hour too. Obviously all pre-pandemic so latest experiences may differ.
- Chrisasaurus says:
  
  28 Aug28 August 11:36
  
  We stayed at the arto’otel and were impressed – only really that and the Hilton on that side of the river, all the big ones are on the other side.
  
  Good room and very good bar, only ate dessert in the restaurant (and breakfast but you’re not short of breakfast options in Budapest)
  - Sandra says:
    
    28 Aug28 August 15:02
    
    We stayed at the IC 2 years ago using the Ambassador weekend free night. Spacious room looking directly across the river to the Bastion which looks lovely lit up at night. You do want a river facing room though as the other side looks across a street to another hotel. Service was good and the lounge excellent. There is more in the way of restaurants, shops etc on the IC side of the river although the area around the Hilton/Bastion is lovely.